Beyond the Boxer: Ali and the Humanitarian Within
Photograph courtesy of the Courier-Journal, 1960.
1960
On October 29, 1960, Muhammad Ali fought his first professional fight against part-time boxer, Tunney Hunsaker. Hunsaker was 30 years old, 12 years older than Ali. Despite the age difference, the fight went six rounds and Ali was declared the winner by unanimous decision based on points. The fight was held at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky and he donated all the proceeds to Kosair Crippled Children's Hospital, which treated children with polio.
Wilma Rudolph, whom Ali met at the 1960 Rome Olympics and became good friends with, came to Louisville to help promote his first professional match and to help at Kosair Crippled Children's Hospital for a day. Rudolph suffered from polio as a child, though she overcame it. Rudolph, along with Ali and his brother Rahaman, made television and radio appearances, visited Central High School, and Kosair Crippled Children's Hospital leading up to Ali's fight with Hunsaker.
